


Flash: Savior of the Universe

by wyntera



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Blink Zine, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-14
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-11-18 02:10:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18111125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wyntera/pseuds/wyntera
Summary: It's an important anniversary, but no one seems to remember.





	Flash: Savior of the Universe

**Author's Note:**

> My piece for the Blink! Tracer zine! I came in as a pinch-hitter at the last minute and I think it turned out pretty nice, all things considered. Enjoy!

_ “Are you sure you don’t want me to come down? I can try to call and reschedule.” _

“I’m sure. You’ve worked so hard on this project, Ems! It’s not your fault the presentation is today.”

_ “I’m just worried about you…” _

“Don’t you worry about me! There’s plenty to do around here. Winston will have something for me, I’m sure. You just focus on you, okay?”

_ “Alright. But if you go on a mission let me know. I hate not knowing.” _

“Right-O, I will.”

_ “My girlfriend, always out saving the world...oh, sorry, I’ve got another call coming in. I have to go. Love you!” _

“Love you, too. Talk to you later.” Lena lets the smile fall off her face as she disconnects the call. She knew that Emily would be having a busy month, what with this amazing job opportunity that all but fell into her lap. There is no one to blame, and Lena is happy for her girlfriend. Still, it stings worse than Lena expected.

No matter. Like she told Emily, surely Winston will keep her busy.

 

\---

 

“Are you sure you don’t need more help? I’d be happy to come along!”

“You just got back from a mission yesterday,” Winston says. He winces when a crash sounds from within the Orca, quickly followed by a shouting match between Satya and Jamison. “We really have more than enough agents on this mission. You should take the time to relax, Lena. You work yourself too hard.”

She watches as Winston hoists his Tesla cannon and heads for the ship. Angela and Genji follow with a parting wave. From within Lena can see Fareeha and Zarya already in a heated debate about one thing or another, Reinhardt offering his opinion heedless of their little arguments. Winston is right; this mission is already overcrowded as it is. Maybe she’ll find someone in the dorms.

 

\---

 

The halls are eerily silent. It’s not until Lena knocks on the third door to an empty room that she remembers where most of the other agents are: Lúcio’s concert or Hana’s tournament. Both of them always hold tickets for all the agents, usually in the VIP section. She’s still kicking herself for not taking up either offer when Jesse finds her in the kitchen thirty minutes later, stuffing her face.

“What the blue blazes are you eatin’?”

Lena looks back down at her sandwich--fries stuffed between pieces of buttered bread--before grabbing the bottle of ketchup. “A chip butty.”

A look of mild horror passes over Jesse’s features. “Who hurt you to make you do this to yourself?”

“Ha ha.” She takes another big bite while he watches in growing disgust. “Just an off day, I guess.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Jesse asks.

Emotions push upward from inside, making her feel like she’s drowning. She does want to talk about it, but at the same time it feels wrong to burden Jesse with this. She shrugs instead and tries for a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m fine! Don’t worry about me, luv.”

Jesse watches her munch on her comfort food for a long moment before shaking his head. “Nope. Can’t do that.” She squawks in indignation when he plucks the plate of food from her hands and moves to the sink. “Feel like I just witnessed a crime against food. Get dressed, we’re goin’ out.”

 

\---

 

All of Lena’s objections fall on deaf ears. Soon enough she finds herself roaming the streets of Gibraltar with her own personal cowboy escort. She is gracious enough to concede that the street vendor’s lamb kefta brochettes are superior to her first choice of lunch, even if chip butties remind her of her childhood. They eat while browsing the market stalls and quaint shops with no destination in mind, Jesse keeping up a steady stream of chatter that makes for a decent distraction from her own thoughts.

Forgetting her worries is harder than that, though, in a military town like Gibraltar. At every turn she sees a fellow soldier in military garb out on the town with their family and friends, and each time a pang of hurt passes through her frame. Lena thinks she’s doing a good job of hiding it, but when a fighter jet passes overhead on its way to the nearby base she flinches hard enough that not even Jesse could miss it. “You know, ain’t often I see a pilot jumpin’ at the sound of a plane,” Jesse drawls, following her into a thrift store. “Makes a man wonder if all this moping might have somethin’ to do with it.”

Lena’s shoulders slump. “Is it that obvious?”

“Sweetheart, espionage ain’t exactly your speciality.” He starts browsing the vintage t-shirts on the rack between them. “How about you let me in on the secret? It’ll make you feel better to get it out.”

Lying about it now seems hopeless; Jesse can be like a dog with a bone. Lena sighs. “Today’s date. It’s when I had my accident.”

Concern floods Jesse’s face. “Aww, Lena-bean--”

Lena barrels on, not wanting to hear anything like pity. “It’s not the accident--or, well not  _ just  _ the accident, I mean. That was bad, but when I was...lost, I--”

She bites her lip, trying to find the right words. Jesse waits, a patient presence as she sorts through her feelings. “When I was jumping through time, all these events were jumbled. I would see people I knew--friends--going about their lives, and there I was watching and witnessing but unable to do anything. And no one seemed to--to care that I was gone. It was like they had already forgotten about me. And then today, everyone’s busy, which is fine of course; I’m not that self-centered! It’s silly! I know, I know it is, because I’m here and everyone’s just doing what they need to do. But...sometimes it sneaks up on me. Like today. Wondering if I’m...I don’t know. Making an impact, or if I matter--”

“Hey, whoa, hold up now.” Jesse leans his arm on the clothes rack and levels her with a look that pins her in place. “You don’t really believe that, do you?” When all Lena does is look away and hold her tongue, Jesse huffs. “Of course you  _ matter. _ There ain’t a person on this team that don’t love you to pieces, that wouldn’t bend over backwards to make you happy. And not just because you’re the heart and soul of Overwatch, neither.”

Lena can feel her face turning red. “Jesse,” she whines, hiding behind a hideous sequined shirt.

He laughs. “Don’t you  _ Jesse  _ me; listen here. I ain’t goin’ to stand around and listen to that nonsense. You’re tellin’ me Mei and Hanzo and Satya wouldn’t miss y’all’s little tea parties? Or Lúcio beggin’ for one more race, since he can’t seem to beat you? Or Jamison havin’ someone to bitch with about me butcherin’ the English language?” He ducks his head down enough to catch her eye, his tone turning serious. “You think those kids in Numbani are goin’ to forget you anytime soon? Or any of the other dozens of people you’ve saved? Do you really think Winston could forget you?”

At a loss for words, Lena shakes her head. Her throat feels tight with emotion again, but unlike earlier it doesn’t feel like drowning. Luckily for her Jesse can tell the difference, too. He nods, satisfied. “We’d be mighty sorry if you weren’t around,” he says, going back to his browsing. “Best you don’t forget that, you hear?”

“I hear,” Lena replies. If he notices her discreetly wiping her eyes, he is gentleman enough not to point it out. She sniffs once and smiles with her whole face. “And someone has to give you a hard time about your Americanisms. Half the things you say are a ton of guff.”

“That is rich, comin’ from you,” Jesse teases back. The next shirt slides down the rack rail with a harsh screech, and he pauses at what he sees. “Oh, hello there.”

“Find something good?”

Jesse plucks the shirt from the hanger and tosses it over to her. “Go try this on.”

Lena holds up the white shirt so she can get a good look. The collar and sleeves have red edging, there’s a lightning bolt on the back, and a bold red logo arches across the front. “Flash?”

“Flash Gordon? King of the Impossible? Queen? Nothing?” At Lena’s blank look, Jesse lets out a gusty sigh. “Trust me, it’s you. We have got to work on y’all’s musical history. And we’re watchin’ a movie when we get back to base. Now go on, try it on.”

 

\---

 

The shirt fits, and even though Lena doesn’t understand the reference Jesse insists on buying it for her. He assures her that once she’s been properly educated it will be one of her favorites. After their talk the rest of the day goes much better. Lena allows herself to enjoy the bustling crowds, laughing at Jesse’s jokes and letting some of those old insecurities go. 

She’s about to suggest they head back to the base for dinner when Jesse snags her by the arm. “Hey,” he says, steering her back toward a pub down a side road. “I hear this place is good. Let’s grab a bite.”

“It’s getting awfully late, don’t you think?” Lena asks, falling in step regardless. She is rather hungry.

“My treat,” Jesse says, holding the door open for her.

“You’ve been paying for everything all--”

“There she is!”

A sudden cheer rings out that has her stalling at the entrance. She only has a second to spot a few familiar faces before Winston is sweeping her up into a tight embrace. Over his shoulder she sees Emily laughing at the display, and behind her the rest of her team. “Blimey, what is going on?”

“Our mission wasn’t quite as long as we let on,” Winston says, setting her back down so she can get a hug from her girlfriend.

“They came to pick me up after my meeting,” Emily adds. She presses a kiss to Lena’s cheek and murmurs, “We’ll always make time for you, luv.”

Lena’s led deeper into the group, everyone giving her hugs and teases. Fareeha and Brigitte are already calling that they have a pint with her name on it. Reinhardt is pushing her into the seat of honor at the head of their table. She has to laugh at it all, this family she has made that she couldn’t live without, that couldn’t live without her. Twisting around, she sees Jesse headed for the bar, Hanzo already waiting for him with a shot of whiskey. She catches Jesse’s eye and mouths a silent  _ thank you.  _ Jesse smiles, tips his hat to her, and takes a drink.

**Author's Note:**

> If you like that and want more, want to check out my art, or just want to chat, come on by my tumblr! You can find me under username wyntera. And if twitter is more your game, come and join me there, just look for @ThreeCatDesigns. You can now also find me as wyntera on Pillowfort!
> 
> And hey. Thanks.


End file.
